A bit of taper? Would appreciate some help

michael · Post by **michael** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:54 pm

This is my well worn and loved beaver AB Raiders. About 4 years sold. To my eye it’s always had a bit of taper that just bugs me (only a little really).

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Screencapped · Post by **Screencapped** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:03 pm

It looks ok to me from that angle. If your center dent is too deep in the back that will cause taper so you may try adjusting that. Have any more shots from different angles I can see?

michael · Post by **michael** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:10 pm

Sure

Screencapped · Post by **Screencapped** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:20 pm

Looks like you need a reblock if you want to straighten the sides up. As good as it is at repelling water/moisture even beaver felt will shrink and taper over time with enough wear.

Jack@hatter · Post by **Jack@hatter** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:21 pm

That's a well worn and well loved hat.

The best advice is to have it reblocked and maybe a new Ribbon installed. However you might prefer your ribbon weathered.

Looks like a good quality Beaver body that should last for years. However some tapering does affect hats that are in constant use. Could be the crease.

Plenty of people here who will help you reblock it. It deserves it, make it last for forty years.

Regards

Jack

michael · Post by **michael** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:24 pm

That's what I thought – thank you both.

Who do we fine, upstanding, persnickety COWers turn to for reblocks these days? This will be my first.

@jack I think I like the weathered ribbon... ;-)

Jack@hatter · Post by **Jack@hatter** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:27 pm

michael wrote:That's what I thought – thank you both.

Who do we fine, upstanding, persnickety COWers turn to for reblocks these days? This will be my first.

@jack I think I like the weathered ribbon... ;-)

Brian here will do one for you.

Jack.

(ribbon looks great ;-)

michael · Post by **michael** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:31 pm

Jack@hatter wrote:
michael wrote:That's what I thought – thank you both.

Who do we fine, upstanding, persnickety COWers turn to for reblocks these days? This will be my first.

@jack I think I like the weathered ribbon... ;-)

Brian here will do one for you.

Jack.

(ribbon looks great ;-)

Who's Brian?

Screencapped · Post by **Screencapped** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:41 pm

Brian would be me. PM me if you want and we can talk about a reblock.

michael · Post by **michael** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:42 pm

anindyjones wrote:Brian would be me. PM me if you want and we can talk about a reblock.

Ha, will do!

Jeremiah · Post by **Jeremiah** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 3:10 pm

Love how your ribbon looks. I hope mine gets like that one day. Since the reblock the ribbon on now seems to be super fade and stain resistant. More so than the hat.

michael · Post by **michael** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 3:12 pm

Jeremiah wrote:Love how your ribbon looks. I hope mine gets like that one day. Since the reblock the ribbon on now seems to be super fade and stain resistant. More so than the hat.

Just gotta sweat your butt off for a few years... $\:D/$

Jeremiah · Post by **Jeremiah** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:06 pm

Ha. Yeah when mine looked like that I did live in FL.

Clipper · Post by **Clipper** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:22 pm

I have the exact same issue right now with my AB CS that I turned into a Raiders bash. It has required a wider center dent to get the sides to look straight. When I push out the bash you can really see the taper and the top of the crown almost goes into a point.

I already am in the queue for John to reblock it on his AB Raiders block sometime next month. I'm very excited for that.

I was also able to get a bit straighter sides back out of it by stuffing it tight with newspaper, steaming it and letting it sit for a few hours to dry. It helped, but still really just needs a reblock. You might give that a try (unless more experienced hatters here think that's a bad idea).

For me just adjusting the depth/width of my center dent makes it look right when I wear it. Until the reblock.

-Clipper

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:31 pm

Looks like a very well loved hat - a reblock certainly wouldn't hurt though.

It has required a wider center dent to get the sides to look straight. When I push out the bash you can really see the taper and the top of the crown almost goes into a point.

Yeah, that's the difficulty I always have with bashing: the center dent almost by design creates taper. Getting it not to create taper and even create reverse taper is...well...quite the hat trick. Yes, I'm proud of that pun, no I won't get rid of it.

michael · Post by **michael** » Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:54 am

Mulceber wrote:Looks like a very well loved hat - a reblock certainly wouldn't hurt though.

It has required a wider center dent to get the sides to look straight. When I push out the bash you can really see the taper and the top of the crown almost goes into a point.
Yeah, that's the difficulty I always have with bashing: the center dent almost by design creates taper. Getting it not to create taper and even create reverse taper is...well...quite the hat trick. Yes, I'm proud of that pun, no I won't get rid of it.

Yes, this exactly! I also had to resort to a tear drop on top instead of the center crease. It seems like the Raiders bash physically works against getting straight sides, much less a reverse taper. So tricky.

Also, I think the circumference of my head is more round than oval, which pushes the sides out at the bottom.

That said, my rabbit AB Raiders shows no taper. So... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

michael · Post by **michael** » Sat May 12, 2018 12:17 pm

Well, I sent this 5 year old beaver AB off to John Penman, and after a short wait it has returned.

And it looks better than it ever has!

We replaced the liner, sweatband, and the ribbon (as you can see this hat had seen some adventures).

Just wanted to let everyone know how great of a job John did with this. Also thought you might be interested to see how a screen accurate ribbon changes over time.

Anyway, I could not have asked for a better result from John. This is just tremendously good work.